Underworld
by Not Ink
Summary: They say you should never make a deal with the devil. Ryou didn't listen. Deathshipping, YAOI
1. Marked in Blood

**I had a dream that inspired this fic. How cheesy is that.**

**THIS IS NOT ANGSTSHIPPING. Malik and Ryou are just the two main characters. But there will be yaoi and a ton of pairings. So ya.**

**I do not own yugioh. Dur.**

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A young boy walked down a sidewalk of a empty street, deep in thought. His long white hair was cut in a choppy manner, but framed his face quite nicely. The boy's chocolate brown wide eyes stared at the pavement as he adjusted his maroon scarf around his neck.

_Something horrible is going to happen._

He already knew. The feeling had been following him around all day, and there was no escape from it. It seemed to hang around him like a heavy cloud.

_You probably know whom it's going to happen to._

Of course he did, the signs were obvious. The boy just wished that _It _would shut up about it. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it. This horrible thing would happen. _It _was always right. The number one rule- you always listen to _It._

"Catch me if you can, Yuugi-kun!" A high pitched voice squealed, followed by the sound of shoes running across wood chips.

The boy turned to see a girl and three boys playing at the park across the street from him. He recognized all of them from school, the short-haired brunette girl who had just spoken, a blonde boy and a brown haired boy whose hair formed a spike at the top, and a shorter boy with wild tri-colored pointy hair. They were all chasing eachother around, not noticing him, until the short boy with the crazy hair turned and saw him. First the boy was surprised, then a wide smile crossed his small face and he waved. The boy's companions noticed him too, but just stared and exchanged strange glances with each other. The young boy sighed and waved back to the short kid and continued walking down the sidewalk, trying to ignore the other three's whispers.

_They think you are crazy._

"Because I am," The boy mumbled to himself, shaking his mess of white hair slowly. Maybe if he didn't talk to himself in public, or avoid many people at school, maybe they wouldn't think he was-

_**OOMFPH. **_

The boy had been so lost in thought he hadn't looked where he was going, and he walked straight into someone on the sidewalk. The tall fiqure he had ran into began to turn to look at the boy, and he quickly blushed and hurried to apologize.

"Sorry sir, I'm so sorr-," Then the boy caught sight of the stranger's eyes.

For one thing, they were a very unnatural looking shade of violet. The seemed to have no pupil and their depths looked as if they could go on forever. The boy didn't even get a good look at the rest of the man because he was so capitivated by his eyes.

They stared at eachother for a moment, until the man raised his hand and snapped his fingers once.

Then everything, for only a brief second, went black.

When the darkness cleared, the boy noticed he was no longer on the streets of Domino City, but in a poorly lit office. The wallpaper of this office was black with dark grey stripes, cracked at the corners. The only window was heavily covered with shades, allowing little to no light in. The only furniture was an oakwood desk and chair with another chair, this one red and slightly cushioned, facing the desk. To complete the picture was the strange man, sitting across from the boy, at the desk, hands folded.

"Hmm… your name is Ryou?" The man said, or almost purred, his voice seductive and deep.

"Y-Yes," The boy, Ryou, mumbled. In his thoughts he wondered how the man knew this, and his body shuddered in fear.

"Ryou Ryou Ryou…" The man chirped softly, his violet gaze locked on the boy. "Take a seat, _Ryou._"

Ryou glanced down at the chair, not wishing to sit. But he sat anyways, for some reason he felt like he could not refuse or defy this man. His own chocolate-y eyes could also not leave the hypnotizing purple orbs. The man opposite of him closed his eyes for a moment, a small smile on his lips.

"Ryou Bakura… ten years old… goes to Domino City Elementary School… moved here from England when he was five… doesn't have a lot of friends, feels like he's sort of close to someone named Yuugi Motou…" The man stated, as if he was reading facts off a list.

This was really starting to freak Ryou out- how did this strange man know these things?

The man opened one eye to look at Ryou for a moment, then shut it and continued speaking. "Favorite food is cream puffs… loves role play games… enjoys writing in free time… is in possesion of-," The man paused suddenly, then opened his eyes and stared at Ryou, his small smile now twisted into a considerably more creepy one.

Ryou's heart pounded in his chest. He felt _It_ grow hot against his body, to a point where it almost burned. Then that all too familiar, cold voice reappeared in his head.

_What are you doing? Get out of there! He's-_

"Take off the ring," The strange man hissed. Ryou bit his lip, nervous.

"I don't know what your-,"

"You don't have an option. _Take off the ring,_" He demanded, his eyes flashing angrily.

Ryou didn't want to obey. He wanted to get away from this man, but he felt as if his body couldn't leave this spot. Every part of him, every fiber of his being told him not to take off _It_, the ring. But Ryou knew, for some reason, he couldn't defy this man. The ring burned against his chest under his shirt and Ryou's head pounded furiously along with his heart. The room felt incredibly hot as he moved his hand slowly to remove the object. Suddenly, he couldn't take it anymore and nearly ripped the ring from around his neck and threw it onto the desk. Ryou put his head in his hands and panted hard. He felt so empty without the ring. It nearly screamed at him from across the desk to put it back on. Ryou snapped his head back up to look at the strange man, who held the ring in his hand, examining it closely.

"Interesting… very interesting. I knew that there was a reason our paths crossed…" He mumbled, looking over the ring, greed reflecting in his eyes. He set the ring back on the desk and reached down and grabbed something. The man pulled a rod or sceptar like gold item and placed it next to the ring. The rod had an eye carved into it, just like his ring. Both items glowed for a moment before the man picked them both up again and seemed to be comparing them.

Ryou stared in shock. "Who- _what _are you?" He cried out. Ryou could not take his eyes off the ring, he did not like the other man, or anyone, holding it. The ring didn't like it either, for it seemed to call out for Ryou.

The man glanced up. "My official title is none of your concern…" He said smoothly, placing down both items again. "But I like you, so I guess I can tell you my name, for what other people might call me is more like a _nickname _or _pseudonym,_ my _nom de plume_…"

Ryou glared, eye twitching in slight irritation.

"Hmm? Oh yes. I suppose you may refer to me as Marik, I think it means king in some language. As for what I am, well, I guess you can say I am not of your kind. I am above and beyond it… or perhaps below?" The man, _Marik,_ chuckled to himself, then regained his composure. "Anyways, enough about me, I want to hear about you. Tell me about your _family,"_

"Why would I do that? You already seem to know everything about me," Ryou snapped, frowning.

Marik raised an eyebrow. "Because, my young friend, I just _love _hearing your cute, innocent little voice,"

Despite the situation, Ryou blushed and watched Marik's gaze soften briefly. Ryou took this oppurtonity to look away from that piercing gaze and get a glance at the rest of Marik. He was very tan with his Egyptian-looking bronze skin, he was also considerably well muscled. Ryou was able to tell this for he was wearing a tight black tank top, despite how cold it had been when they were back out in Domino City. His sand blonde hair was spiked up in various directions and-

The hynotizing eyes captured his again. "Whoops, must of slipped," He said, his voice even. "Anyways, tell me of your family,"

"Well," Ryou began, "I have my mother, and my little sister Amane. I love them a lot, but you probably knew that already. Then there's my father… he cares for a them a bunch, but he doesn't really like me. Our family's kind of, um, _cursed." _Ryou tapped his fingers together, nervous, as if he shouldn't of said that.

"So what has cursed you, and why does your father dislike you so?"

"Um… well that ring," He pointed at the ring, hand shaking, "I guess you could say it's a family heirloom. Its passed down from generation to generation… my family has had it for a long time, perhaps hundreds of years-,"

"Actually, you've had it for approximately three millennia," Marik corrected.

"Uh, yah, okay… Anyways, it's tradition for the father to pass down the ring to the first born child. That child is to put on the ring and see if it, um, accepts the child as its host-"

"Your father was not the first born child of his family, I assume?" Marik interrupted again.

"No, his brother was. See, with my father, when he was young he watched his older brother try on the ring, it didn't accept him. So his brother sort of started puking flames and literally burned to death… the ring had never ever accepted anyone." Ryou paused and bit his lip. "Then it came time for me to try the ring… my father was really nervous, but a strange thing happened. It accepted me and I became the rings host. Now my father is sort of afraid of me and everyone thinks I'm crazy,"

"Man kid that's quite a story- kid?" Marik noticed Ryou was now sobbing quietly. "Uh- don't cry, Ryou… what's wrong?" Marik said awkwardly, not really sure what to do.

"I-It's just that," Ryou wiped his nose with his sleeve, sniffling, "The ring told me that something horrible is going to happen tomorrow to my m-mother and Amane, my whole family is going to be cursed forever…"

Marik frowned, feeling sympathy for the young boy for a moment. Then he thought of an idea, a plan to help Ryou. "Tell you what kid, I'll make you a deal. But you gotta listen to me before you start freaking out, 'kay?"

Ryou looked at him with wide, teary brown eyes and nodded slowly.

"I come from this place… a place known to many of you mortals as _Hell. _Well, blessit, the place has so many names I can't even keep track! Anywho, when you humans die, you all go down there. But dun worry 'cause the good people go to this nice section. So this place is inhabited by many creatures- dead people, demons, vampires, ghouls- you name it, we got it! Well you see, a minute ago you were telling me about this curse, and I know that there is only one way you can really break a curse,"

The young boy held up a hand, motioning for Marik to stop talking and drew in a deep, shaky breath. "Wow… okay, sorry continue,"

"Ya. Anyways, the only way you can break a curse is by selling your soul to _yours truly! _It's so super simple. All you gotta do is sign this contract…" Marik waved his hand and a long piece of paper and a feather appeared and they floated down onto his desk, "… in blood of course, and then you've got eight years before your soul is mine to do as I please at the ripe age of eighteen!"

Ryou frowned, weighing his options. "Let me see the contract,"

Marik blinked. "Oh yes! I suppose you would want to see the circumstances," He wave a hand over the paper and text appeared on it, then he passed it down to Ryou.

Ryou skimmed down to the bottom where it listed the circumstances of selling his soul.

_If __**Ryou Bakura **__signs this contract, he is therefore agreeing to have his soul sold to __**H. "Marik" **__and the following things will occur;_

_-Ryou Bakura will be summoned by the Messenger at the age of 18 to have his soul sold to H. "Marik"_

_-Ryou Bakura's physical presence will be erased from the human realm_

_-Ryou Bakura's soul will belong to H. "Marik" for eternity unless realeased by H. "Marik" himself._

` -_Ryou Bakura's family's curse will be lifted and the rest of his family will no longer have to suffer within the Fields of Punishment after their time of death_

_If __**Ryou Bakura **__signs this contract, he is therefore agreeing to do the following;_

_-To willingly having his soul sold to H. "Marik"_

_-To wear the Ring at all time, even after his soul is sold_

_-To not tell another mortal being about his meeting with H. "Marik" or his soul being sold_

Ryou stared at the page blankly, weighing his options. "The accident will still happen tomorrow, I assume?"

Marik smiled sadly. "I'm afraid it will. But atleast your mother and sister won't have to spend all of eternity in certain damnation!"

Ryou sighed and closed his eyes. "I will sign this. I will agree to have my soul sold,"

The man across from him looked pleasantly surprised before waving his hand in the air. Suddenly, a large gash appeared on Ryou's wrist a blood began to drip out.

"W-what… what the hell?" He gasped, staring at his bleeding wrist.

"You have to sign in blood…" Marik passed the feather over to Ryou. Ryou hesitated a moment before bringing the tip of the feather up to his wrist, then signing his name on the document in blood.

"Wonderful," Marik murmured, and the contract, feather and Ryou's wound disappeared.

"Now the deal has been sealed. Your soul will be mine on your 18th birthday." Marik stood up and tossed the Ring over to Ryou, who caught it and clutched it to his chest. "Take your Ring. I'll be seeing you soon, but not soon enough…"

Marik was about to wave his hand before he paused, and looked back down at the young boy. "By chance… do you know anyone named Malik Ishtar?"

Ryou blinked. "No… why do you ask?"

"No reason,"

The everything turned black again and Ryou found himself back on the streets of Domino City, and Marik was gone. Ryou sighed and turned to run home.

The next day, his mother and sister died in a car accident on the way home from school.

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**Well that was short. Only about 11 pages on word. See ya next chapter where we meet some new characters, and shit happens!**


	2. Accident in Descent

Hey everyone! Sorry that it took me FOREVER to update this x_x I got most of it done at the beginning of summer, but then suddenly I was really busy and forgot... so the ending was kind rushed and fails.

And thanks to the two people who reviewed this story. It makes me happy inside ;-; -sniff-

**Disclaimer: **I do **NOT **own Yu Gi Oh. Wanna buy it for me? :'D

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Eight years seemed to go by much faster then they needed to for Ryou, considering that he had spent most of them alone. His father had given up on him two years after Ryou's mother and Amane's death. His exscuse for leaving- going to Egypt for archeology crap or whatever. Ryou's hardly ever visited, all he did was send Ryou money for food. Ryou knew why his father abandoned him, he was afraid of him.

Ryou sat up in his bed and pulled off his pajama shirt. He grabbed his ring and one hand a trailed his tumb over the eye. This Ring was the reason for all his problems. The reason his mother and sister were dead and his father didn't want anything to do with him. But despite all this, it was the only thing that kept him sane.

_More like crazy. Now get up and get ready for school- today is your last day of being eighteen. Your last day of freedom, so get your ass out of bed!_

Ryou was surprised at first by the Ring's outspeaking. Sometimes it went for months without saying a word. But today was his last day. He would get to see Marik again…

_All you ever think about is Marik these days. Marik this, Marik that. You think so highly about him, even though he practically kidnapped you when you were a kid, then bribed you into selling your soul to him!_

"You don't know anything about him," Ryou spoke aloud, climbing out of bed. He pulled on a white tee over his Ring, then slipped on his school's uniform jacket and pants. It was a true statement, the Ring had claimed before that he could not remember anything of that night.

_Maybe not, but I do know that he's no good. That rod he had… it's powerful. He's powerful. You may think Marik is doing you a favor, but there has got to be a loophole… just remember that of midnight, you belong to him._

"It can't be that bad. All I'm doing is going to hell," He replied, almost sarcastically. Ryou was now heading into the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair and grabbing his bag off the counter. He often retold himself the story of him meeting Marik to himself outloud, that is why the Ring knew of the rod. "Why are you being so talkative today?"

_Because I'm wondering what will happen to me after this. Will I go to hell with you, or will I just dissapear completely? By the way, you should grab something to eat. You are way to skinny. You look like a girl._

"Hmm. I didn't know you cared," Ryou mumbled, grabbing a granola bar from the pantry and jogging out the door. "Now don't expect me to talk to you today, I don't want to weird anyone out,"

_It's not like you'll be seeing any of them again for a long time._

Ryou hadn't put much thought into that. He didn't have many friends, though he did hang around Yuugi, Tea, Joey and Tristan. They didn't really like him much though, Joey often called him stupid for saying something that perhaps went against his opinions. Tea was nice to everyone so she didn't count, and Tristan was… Tristan. Yuugi was the only one who he really considered his friend. Yuugi liked games just like Ryou, and talked to Ryou about things that were hard to talk about with others, like the death of his mother and sister, or his father's disappearance.

_I_ _hate to burst your bubble, yandonushi, but you're going to be late to school._

Ryou's eyes widened in alarm and he looked at the watch on his wrist. He gasped. He _was _going to be late to school! The time read 7:45 am, and it took atleast thirty minutes for him to walk to school. Ryou picked up a brisk run and headed down the sidewalk, panting after only a minute of running.

"I really do need to get in shape," He muttered to himself, stopping to catch his breath. He didn't notice the rumble on an engine in the distance.

_Mmhmm. Fat reserves energy… wait, what's that noise?_

The rumbling was getting closer, and Ryou turned to see a motorcycle approaching him. Ryou blinked in confusion as the motorcyle slowed up next to him. Its rider tapped their fingers against the handlebars before removing their helmet.

Ryou gasped in shock.

The rider seemed to be a near mirror image of Marik. He had the same smooth bronze skin and sand blonde hair, but his hair was not spiked as Marik's had been. It was straight and long, cut into many layers. He wore a Domino City Highschool uniform, but his jacket was not buttoned with the sleeves rolled up and he wore a tight white tee under it that revealed some of his midriff. His eyes were violet, not as dark as Marik's but still captivating. His neck and arms were adorned with gold cuff-like jewelry and spiked gold earrings hung from his lobes.

_I can't believe it yandonushi, we finally found someone even girlier than you._

Ryou ignored the Ring's comment and stared in awe at the man. He just smirked up at the pale boy, eyes shining.

"I assume you need a ride?" He said, his voice not deep like Marik's, but possibly more seductive. Though his Japanese seemed fluent, he had a strange, foreign accent.

"Uhh… y-yeah I guess, b-but I really shouldn't be taking rides from strangers…" Ryou managed to mumble, his face flushed.

The man smiled genuinely, is teeth white and perfect. "Then consider me not a stranger anymore." He held out a bronze hand. "My name is Malik. I recently moved here from Egypt and this is my first day attending your school,"

Ryou gripped Malik's hand. It was warm and strong. He shook it briefly before pulling away and smiling shyly. "I'm Ryou Bakura. It's nice to meet you, Malik,"

_The name seems familiar. You say that this boy resembles Marik, hmm? I'm surprised that you can even remember what he looks like…_

Ryou bit his lip for a moment before looking back up at Malik, who's eyes seemed to flash for a moment with some unknown emotion, and was staring at something beyond Ryou, before he returned to his genuine smile and polite gaze.

"Hop on, Ryou. I'm sure you don't want to be late," He said, gesturing to the seat behind him.

Ryou did as he was told and sat behind Malik, mildly uncomfortable. He watched as Malik threw his helmet behind a random tree and revved up the engine. "Umm… no helmets, I assume?" Ryou said, nervous.

Malik turned his head to look at Ryou and grinned. "Nah. I was only wearing that before 'cause my sister made me. You'll be fine though. Just hold on tight,"

Ryou wrapped his arms awkwardly around Malik's waist as Malik moved the motorcycle forward. Soon they were traveling down the streets quickly, weaving in and out of cars and getting honked at by these other drivers. They were even flipped off a few times. Poor Ryou was scared out of his wits, holding on to Malik for dear life.

"You okay back there, Ryou?" Malik asked over the roar of the engine.

"I'd be lying if I said yes!"

Malik chuckled and focused back on the driving. They arrived at the school five minutes till eight. Ryou climbed off the motorcycle as fast as he could, legs feeling shaky. "T-thanks for the ride, Malik," He mumbled, moving on to the sidewalk.

"No problem! I gotta go park this thing, so I'll catch ya later," Malik replied cheerfully, driving off into the school's parking lot.

_There's something strange about that kid._

Ryou mentally agreed. First of all, his resemblance to Marik had to be more than a coincidence. That name, Malik, was also so familiar, but Ryou couldn't remember why. That night many years ago seemed like a dream. You always had to struggle to keep it in your memory.

"Eh! Ryou!" A voice called.

Ryou turned on his heels to see Joey, Yuugi, Tristan and Tea heading towards him at a brisk pace. Ryou crinkled his nose up briefly in confusion. He wondered why they were actually approaching him when they usually just ignored him.

Joey came up to Ryou and put a hand on his bony shoulders. "Dude, why were you on a motorcycle?" His brown eyes sparkled with interest and he looked on to the parking lot where Malik had exited to.

Ryou sighed. He figured that the only reason they were interested is because of that little show. He looked around. Other students were staring at him too, in curiousity.

"I was running late and I was offered a ride," Ryou muttered, not meeting Joey's eyes.

He could literally feel Joey frowning as he pulled his hand away. Perhaps that was not that answer he had wanted. Not interesting enough for him.

Yuugi stepped forward, those amythest eyes staring up at him in wide concern. "You really shouldn't take rides from strangers, Ryou, it's not safe,"

"He's not a stranger," Ryou replied, blinking. "He recently transferred here from Egypt, he's a new student,"

"Man, he's Egpytian _and _he's got a badass motorcycle!" Tristan said enthusiastically, "This guy's got to be really tough!"

_He could not be farther from the truth._

Ryou chuckled inwardly, he couldn't help but agree. A mental image of Malik flashed in his head. The boy certainly was girly looking.

Suddenly the school bell rang and the other students turned and headed inside, abandoning Ryou. Ryou scowled and rolled his eyes before heading after them.

The morning went by slowly for Ryou. It was the same boring routine for him. Turn in his homework. Be praised by teacher. Watch Joey get scolded at for not doing his homework. Sit at desk in boredom.

The only interesting part was when he doodled in class. But it wasn't really him doodling, it was the Ring. He let the Ring take control of his dominant hand and watched as it drawed mindlessly across a piece of lined paper. The Ring drew fairly good things, and they were captivating. Today he drew someone who looked like Ryou himself, but he was dressed in mostly black and his hair was a tad bit messier. Dark feathered wings reached out of the figures back. The character's eyes seemed dark and cold.

"Hey," A girl who sat next to him whispered, leaning over. "You're a really good artist,"

Ryou's hand stopped drawing and blinked up at her before nodding his appreciation. He couldn't remember the girls name, but it did not matter.

When the Ring finished its drawing of the winged character it moved on to draw somebody on a motorcycle. After time he noticed it was Malik. Ryou remembered the highly attractive bronze-skinned boy,and realized he hadn't been in any of his classes. He sighed and began to wonder why the Ring was drawing Malik in the first place.

Time passed quickly after that, and before he knew it, it was lunch. Ryou headed to the cafeteria, lost in thoughts of Marik and the occult events that had happened that day many years ago. He automatically sat with the rest of his "group", at the farthest end of the table. It didn't matter though, he was never apart of their conversations anyways. Ryou stared at his lunch, not planning to eat it. It may be his last lunch here, but he knew that it would normal just like any other day.

… until Malik showed up and decided to sit right next to Ryou.

Yuugi, Tristan, Joey and Tea stared in awe as Malik smiled warmly at Ryou.

"Hey Ryou!" Malik said in a cheerful, yet seductive voice. "It's a shame that so far we are not in any classes together…" A small pout crossed his lip, his eyes flashing. It was undeniable how attractive this boy was.

"Uh, Ryou, would you mind introducing us to your _friend?_" Tea murmured, her eyes clouded in obvious lust as she scanned over Malik's body.

Malik didn't even glance in her direction. "That would be nice of you," He said softly, his violet gaze never leaving Ryou.

_This guy makes me uncomfortable…_

Ryou bit his lip. "Uh… okay. Guys, this is Malik. He was the one who gave me a ride to school this morning. Malik, this is Yuugi, Joey, Tristan and Tea."

"A pleasure to meet you all," Malik replied, looking over the group briefly.

"As it is to meet you!" Yuugi chirped, his voice friendly and overly enthusiastic as always.

"So you're from Egypt?" Tristan enthused.

The rest of lunch went by in a flash due to Malik's presence there. Ryou found it odd how Malik always seemed to be staring at him, but he dismissed it. He would miss the Egpytian boy's friendliness towards him, but it's not like Ryou had a choice. Everyone he knew would forget him in time anyways. The end of the school day also came swiftly, despite the fact Malik was not in any of his classes. As Ryou headed down the school's front stairs to walk home, he realized something with a jerk of sadness.

Not a single person had wished him a happy birthday.

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Before Ryou knew it, darkness had fallen and many hours passed. The pale boy sat slouched on his bed, drumming his fingers against his thigh nervously. He glanced at his alarm, the digital numbers glowed 11:56.

_Only four minutes_; The Ring murmured.

Ryou had changed out of his uniform and into a blue and white broadly striped tee and pale blue jeans. They were comfortable to wear, but he guessed it would not matter in hell.

Placing a hand against his cheek, Ryou sighed. He wondered endlessly, pondering many questions in his head. Would he see Marik soon after he got down _there?_ Would he get to see his mother and sister again? After all, Marik had said something about a place down _there _where the good people go, _and _the curse had been lifted. Marik had also mentioned something about a Messenger. Would Ryou be meeting him tonight? He sighed again and turned his head to watch the clock change to midnight.

Then there was a sharp ringing and a blinding flash of light.

When the light and ringing faded, Ryou noticed he was no longer the only person in his room. A tall man stood close to the wall opposite of him. This man had light skin and neatly cut brown hair. His clothes were casual, but they contrasted against the serious expression bore onto his ice blue eyes and face. Ryou then realized that this man was not merely standing, but _floating! _His feet were adorn with sandals that had _wings _at the heels, and these wings were beating very rapidly. This man was also surrounded in a strange gold aura.

_What the hell…?_

The man glanced down at his clothes and his expression changed from serious to shock and the to raw anger. He whipped around towards the wall.

"Katsuya, you little fuck!" The man yelled, seemingly at no one. "I _know _you followed me here!"

Ryou's mouth gaped open in shock as another man came through his wall like a ghost and landed clumsily, face first, onto the floor of his bedroom. Ryou could see that this man had messy golden hair and was also dressed casually in a green jacket and jeans. He was surrounded in the same aura as the other man, too. Ryou thought this man seemed awfully familiar…

"Get up, you pathetic mutt," The brunette hissed as his companion struggled to his feet.

"Fuck off, fancy pants. How 'didya know I followed ya anyways?"

The brunette scowled and tugged on his own t-shirt. "Because this isn't what I chose for my human self to wear,"

Ryou's eyes widened as he realized who the blonde man reminded him of…

"So? 'Thought you could use a change of style 'cause you always-,"

"Joey?" Ryou blurted out.

Both men turned as if they had just noticed Ryou for the first time.

"Wuh? Joey?" The blonde man said, scratching his head. "Oh. Kid, ya must be thinking of one of my children! My names' Jounochi, and this asshole is Kaiba,"

Ryou blinked in confusion and studied Jounochi for a moment. He seemed way to young to be a father, and he had never seen Joey's dad, since apparently his parents were divorced.

"Enough with the antics, Jou," Kaiba scolded, before turning back to the boy sitting on the bed. "Your name is Ryou?"

"Yes sir- er, Kaiba,"

Kaiba's cold eyes narrowed. "Don't call me that. My official title is _Hermes,"_

"Hermes?" Ryou repeated back. Wasn't that the name of some god…?

The Ring seemed to chuckle at him.

_From Greek mythology. That would explain the shoes…_

Jounochi's eyes suddenly widened. "What? Who said that?" He glanced around frantically. Ryou was equally as confused. No one had said anything…

Jounochi's faze finally settled on something past Ryou. Kaiba, or "Hermes", also looked, but his expression was calm.

Ryou tried to look at what they were staring at, but nothing was there! Jounochi glanced back at Ryou and nearly jumped right out of his skin. He pressed back against the wall and point a shaky finger at the white-haired boy.

"H-he has a Millennium item!" Jou uttered, his voice basically quaking with fear.

Kaiba, on the other hand, didn't seem so impressed. "No shit, Sherlock," He said, voice dripping with sarcasm."It seems like you're so stupid that you've gone full circle and have become a genius,"

Jounochi opened his mouth to protest, but Kaiba held up a hand to silence him and his icy glare fell onto Ryou, who winced slightly.

"My apologies. I wasn't expecting my _associate _to show up," He said, shooting a glare at Jou, who only stuck his tongue out in return.

"So… you guys are partners?"

Kaiba merely shrugged, while Jounochi wiggled his eyebrows at Ryou, like saying "in more ways than one,".

Kaiba bared his teeth and waved his hand swiftly through the air. "I _saw _that you stupid mutt!"

"W-what did you do to me?" Jou said frantically, looking down and behind himself. He noticed that he now had a golden-brown _dogs _tail. Jou reached up to his head, only to grab a furry ear. He growled at Kaiba, then flushed red in embarrasment. "Bastard," He muttered.

Kaiba directed his attention back to Ryou, "Once again, my apologies. I am sure you're confused and don't understand what we are staring at…"

"There's a lot of things I don't understand here," Ryou muttered to himself.

"Mm. Anywho, I'd like to first say that we are what you mortals like to call _gods,_"

The white-haired boy stared in disbelief and slight awe. "No frickin' way,"

Kaiba only arched a single, perfect brown eyebrow. "If you don't believe me, then how do you explain how I gave Jounochi here dog ears and a tail?"

Ryou glanced back over to Jou, who had his arms crossed and was facing away. He bit his lip in brief thought. Maybe they were gods…? Kaiba had said his "official" title was Hermes. Ryou also recalled Marik using similar magic when he made that contract appear out of thin air… did that mean Marik was a god too?

"So… um… if you're _Hermes _then… uh, who is Jounochi?" Ryou asked cautiously.

Before Kaiba could even begin to respond, Jounochi whipped around, ears pricked.

"The names' Apollo, god of light and awesomeness," He boasted, a huge grin adorning his face.

Kaiba just rolled his eyes. "We get the point, and before I start talking about business things, I'd like to first explain that the person we were looking at is your _yami,_"

Ryou blinked in confusion and looked back again, only to see that to his eyes, no one was there. "My _what?"_

"Your darkside," Kaiba replied, looking frustrated.

Ryou's expression did not change.

"Ugh… the spirit of the Millennium Ring!"

Ryou's hand immediately flew up to the Ring, which was hidden beneath his shirt. "The Ring…?" How did he know about it? "But I don't see anyone?"

A small, yet smug smirk appeared on Kaiba's face. "That's because he is not visible to mortal eyes, unless he wills it to be so…"

_How do you expect I do that, fancy pants?_

The smirk only broadened on the brunette's face at the spirit's comment, and Jou's ears turned towards the direction of Ryou. So they could hear the spirit too…? Ryou's grip only tightened on the Ring.

"As I said… just will it to be so…"

_Um… okay…_

After a moment, the silhouette of a lithe figure began to flicker near Ryou, before appearing completely. The boy could only gasp. The spirit looks were extremely similar to his own… the only differences Ryou could spot were how he seemed a teensy bit taller, his long white hair a quite a bit messier at the top and his sharp, reddish-brown eyes. He seemed like a ghost, the way he was sort of transparent, like he was a hologram.

"So glad you could join us… whatever your name is," Kaiba said with very fake enthusiasm.

The spirit looked at Kaiba, then Jou, then Ryou, before turning his glare back on Kaiba.

"You better have an explanation…" The spirit growled in a husky voice, before reaching up to touch his jaw as if his mouth making the words was a surprise to him.

Kaiba chuckled, almost darkly. "I have other things to attend to… but I suppose a brief explanation is in order. You see, there are these things called _hikari's _and _yami's. _They literally mean light and dark. There is always a hikari and a yami, like a pair. You two, are one of these pairs,"

"Yah, one of the only three in the whole fucking univer-" Jou blurted out, before Kaiba covered his mouth with his hand.

"Idiot… don't go saying things such as that!" He growled. "Anyways, since Jounochi here already spoiled it, I guess I'll just have to say that there were only two more occurences where there was a hikari and a yami. One where the light was born from the dark… and the other, where the dark was born from the light,"

Ryou blinked up at the spirit, who only returned the gaze wordlessly. "So… how was he… or me… created?"

Kaiba furrowed his brows in confusion. "I… don't know that. All I know is that you two are hikari and yami… yami's usually look very similar to their hikari's,"

Suddenly, Ryou was reminded of Malik… he had looked strikingly similar to Marik… it had to be more than a coincidence. "I-I think I met a hikari today…"

Kaiba and Jou both looked at Ryou in shock. They exchanged a glance and nodded to one another before Kaiba turned back to the two white-haired boys. "That's not possible," He snapped, but Ryou wasn't fully convinced.

"Um… so anyways, kid, what 'ya gonna name your yami?" Jou said quickly, eager to change the subject.

The spirit snarled, he wasn't some pet who could just be named. "I think I'll be deciding that. Since I'm Ryou's other half, I guess, I'll just take the other half of his name… Bakura,"

Ryou smiled. The name seemed to fit him.

"Okay okay enough of this," Kaiba snapped suddenly. "I only came here to quickly sell your soul for Zeus's sake, not get all caught up in this crap. So spirit, be gone,"

Bakura rolled his eyes dramatically before disappearing in a flash, most likely back to his Ring.

Kaiba pulled a contract out of thin air, like Marik had done eight years ago. Ryou briefly saw his signature in blood on it, so he knew it was his.

"Yes, yes… Ryou Bakura… male… will have his soul sold at age eighteen to H. Mar-," Kaiba froze, eyes widened. The boy here… he had really sealed his fate. "I knew there was something special about you… besides the fact you have a Millennium item, which you shouldn't."

Ryou was surprised by Kaiba's coldness towards him… what the heck did he do? "It's not my fault… I don't know what is such a big deal,"

"Kid, you will understand in time," Jou said calmly, but his eyes seemed to be full of pity that Ryou couldn't understand.

"Enough," Kaiba hissed. "There has been a change of plans. I need to stay here over night to take care of… business. Jounochi, I will open a portal to the Underworld for you, and you will escort him to… _Marik,_"

Jou looked shocked, angry and fearful all at the same time. "What? Why-,"

"Do not question me!" The brunette shouted.

"Um… exscuse me… but what will happen to the spiri- I mean, Bakura, once my um soul has been sold?" Ryou asked nervously.

Kaiba didn't even look at him. "I don't know. You'll probably be split though,"

Before anyone could say anything else, Kaiba waved his hand at the floor seemed to split in two, hellfire spitting up from the cracks. Ryou screamed and tried to back away, but Kaiba had flown over and pushed him in, more screams echoing as he began to fall.

Jou approached the hole and looked back at Kaiba in obvious concern. "Be safe," He whispered, before leaping after Ryou.

Kaiba didn't respond as the crack in the floor closed up and the room returned to normal.

* * *

The fall seemed to last for ages.

Ryou was screaming at the top of his lungs and he fell through pits of blackness, blind in the situation. He felt as if he was being ripped in two, and he wanted to throw up so bad. Ryou could now finally see the ground, and he waited as he approached it, and he knew that the impact would kill him.

What Ryou didn't see was the spirit, Bakura, being split from his body and falling away from Ryou in a differenct direction.

Bakura frantically tried to break the incoming impact of the ground. He tried to grab onto something- and he thankfully did. It felt like a stone ledge on a wall, but Bakura couldn't see for it was too dark. His grip slipped from it much too quickly and he fell again, before hitting the hard ground with a sickening crack. He cried out in pain, then the darkness increased as Bakura blacked out and fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

...

**OHLAWL. **What fail.

Hmm... puppyshipping? Why, just maybe...

And don't worry. This hasn't been the last you've seen of Malik. In fact, you'll be seeing him very soon.

Reviews make me happy. They also make me motivated.

This chapter was WAY too long, I know XD


	3. Rest in Bandages

**FUCKKK. Sorry for the super later update. I kinda rushed this, so enjoy the fail. THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS. Ilu guys ;-;**

**DISCLAIMER: I dont own yugioh, dur.**

* * *

Malik hurried through the streets of Domino, scanning each house carefully as he passed. '_His _home has to be around here somewhere…' He thought to himself as the tan-skinned boy slipped further into the night.

He soon found what he was looking for, a small apartment that was slightly isolated from the other homes. As Malik stepped around quietly to the back, he noticed a partly open window that seemed to lead into a kitchen. Smirking to himself, he approached the window and pried it open more before climbing in.

Malik glanced around the kitchen, brushing himself off. The room was small and impeccably clean. The boy frowned and went through one of the doors in the kitchen. He ended up in a short, dark hallway. The only light came from the room adjacent to him, its' door cracked halfway open.

'Bingo,' He thought, before moving to enter the room.

Malik had expected to see a small white-haired boy, but was surprised when he saw that the only other person in the room was a tall, brown-haired man. This man stood in front of a wooden desk, his back to Malik. He seemed to be flipping through a spiral notebook of some sort. It was plainly obvious that he had not noticed Malik's arrival.

Malik narrowed his eyes briefly at the pair of winged sandals that sat on the desk before leaning against the doorway casually.

"Seto-chaaann," He purred, violet eyes partly lidded.

The man in front of him noticeably tensed up, then he turned slowly to look at Malik.

"Malik," Seto Kaiba hissed shakily, his empty hand curling up into a fist. "_What _are _you _doing _here._"

Malik smiled in a way that would of looked genuine on anyone else, but Kaiba knew that on the blonde teen it certainly was not. "I think I should be asking that to you, _Seto-chan,"_

Kaiba backed up as Malik pushed himself off the wall and began to saunter towards him slowly.

"Y-you are not supposed to be here, Malik," Kaiba muttered. Malik just glared at him with those sharp violet eyes.

"_Where's Ryou," _He hissed violently, baring his teeth ever so slightly.

Kaiba bit his lip. "I-I don't know what you are talking about."

Malik's whole face seemed to flare up with anger. "_Bullshit! _This is _his _house and _he's _not here and _you _are!" He threw a punch at the brunette, but Kaiba dodged it.

"Don't touch me, Malik," He said, trembling, as he tried to back away.

Malik only followed him to no avail. "Then tell me where he is,"

Kaiba gave in. "The Underworld… he sold his soul to… Marik…"

Malik's features softened at the words, before smiling seductively again. "Remember all the fun that you, Jounochi and I used to have…"

Kaiba paled. "You _used _us,"

The other boy merely shrugged. "It was for the greater good…"

The brunette god frowned and slipped the notebook quietly into his pocket, but he knew that Malik saw. "Malik," He began slowly. "How did you get here? Last time we just left you secluded in some part of California,"

Frowning at the memory, Malik shrugged. "Some little girl finally stumbled upon me. I guess she was from Japan or something. I was merely scrolling through her memories and that's when I saw Ryou, then I ended up here,"

"The fuck, Malik! You _know _you're not supposed to be doing that. Yami would have your head if he found out!"

Malik simply ignored him. "Then when I got here, I stole a motorcycle and some school uniform, followed Ryou then gave him a ride to school,"

"You stay away from him, Malik," Kaiba hissed.

Violet eyes narrowed. "Don't threaten me, Seto," He said idly, stepping even closer.

Kaiba paled. "I said not to touch me!"

Malik raised a blonde eyebrow. "Sorry Seto, but it seems like you don't have a choice," And with that, he simply poked Kaiba in the chest, and the brunette fell to the floor unconscious. Malik chuckled to himself.

"Oh Seto, you are just _too _easy,"

He then leaned down, grabbing the notebook from his pocket and planting a kiss on Kaiba's cheek before being sucked into the darkness.

It only took a moment before the darkness faded, and Malik found himself somewhere quite dark, and if he looked around he could see that there wasn't much to his surroundings. A cliff face behind him, seemingly endless hills ahead of him, with a faint glow of city lights at what seemed the opposite end of wherever he was. It was obvious to him that he had made it to his destination- well, sort of. This wasn't exactly where he planned on ending up. The tan-skinned boy huffed in frustration.

"Great. How am I supposed to find Ryou now?" He said aloud, not that anyone was around to hear him.

At least no one could find him out here.

…

…Right?

Malik shuddered, suddenly paranoid with the idea of being alone. What if this was a trap? Could Kaiba have tricked him? Was he being watched…?

Malik shook his blonde head and started running. He didn't even know where he was going.

And then, suddenly, something caught his eye.

A simple lean figure, crumpled down in a considerably bloody heap, lay down below him, around a hundred feet away. Malik would've thought nothing of it, and have just left the creature to be devoured by hellhounds, if he had not of noticed the figure's jagged white hair and pale skin. He knew of only one person with those features.

"Well, this was easier than I thought…" He murmured, smiling devilishly as he hurried to get to the boy.

* * *

_(Recap)…__Ryou was screaming at the top of his lungs and he fell through pits of blackness, blind in the situation. He felt as if he was being ripped in two, and he wanted to throw up so bad. Ryou could now finally see the ground, and he waited as he approached it, and he knew that the impact would kill him._

…But the impact with the ground never came.

Instead, Ryou found himself in a strong pair of arms. He looked up in confusion at a cheery face framed by a mop of golden blonde hair.

_Jounochi had saved him?_

"Yo, sorry that I didn't save your butt earlier, kid. I'm not used to this kinda thing," Jounochi said, smiling sheepishly.

Ryou just stared at him like an idiot for a moment before shaking his head and blushing lightly.

"J-Just put me down,"

Jou shrugged and gently put the white-haired boy down. He glanced around and his ever-present grin widened.

"Kid, welcome to Hades,"

Ryou blinked and looked around in awe. It looked like they were in a city of some sort, with a variety of creatures bustling about. Darkly cloaked figures, people who seemed sort of transparent, and people with… wings? The city was also very dark and rather grimy. Were they underground…? Ryou glimpsed upward at the endless black void that consisted of the ceiling, where the sky should have been.

"…Hades?" Ryou repeated slowly.

"Yah. Hades. The underworld. If you haven't caught on already, Greek mythology is sort of… real,"

This fact didn't surprise Ryou as much as it should of. He didn't really have a religion, so this fact didn't matter nor bother him.

"K, Ryou?" Jou began, face seeming a tad bit more serious. "I gotta go talk with mister lightning hair- so I'm leaving you over there until I get back," He pointed to a nearby corral-looking thing. It was a pen, maybe?

"Um…"

"Get it? Got it? Good," Jou shoved him towards and then inside the pen. "I'll be back soon to take you to Marik. Don't panic, the thing is protected by magic, none of the big scary monsters can get youuuu,"

And with that, Jounochi disappeared in a flash.

Ryou lowered himself slowly to sit on the barren dirt ground. He felt rather uncomfortable, the idea of being in a pen, like an _animal_ while strange creatures that weren't even remotely human watched him carefully from outside, was not exactly appealing to him. The thick, humid air of the underworld wasn't making things better either, for it was rather difficult to breathe. Did he even need to breathe anymore? It didn't matter. It was out of habit which he did it, and it would feel strange if he stopped.

Thankfully, Ryou was not the only one in the pen. As he glanced around he saw a girl curled up against the fence in a fetal position, her face turned downwards and eyes squeezed shut. She looked fairly young, she couldn't be any older than sixteen. Her light brown hair was ragged as it hung in pitiful spikes down to her shoulders. Ryou noticed that she had tan skin, like Malik and Marik did, but it looked dull and washed out on her.

Ryou cleared his throat. "H-hello…?"

The girl turned her head and looked up at him, and he gasped in shock. Her eyes were a pale blue, but they had no pupil, no reflection, no light hitting them. They were just a solid, ghostly pale blue. Shivers ran up his spine just looking at her dull eyes.

"Don't stare at me like that," She hissed, but it has half-hearted. "You have soulless eyes too,"

Soulless eyes…? Maybe that's what Jou was talking about when he said that he would look different.

"What's your name?" Ryou murmured, crawling over to her.

The girl stared at him for a moment, almost bewildered, before sighing and turning her head away. "Mana. Yours?"

"Uh… Ryou. W-why are we here?"

She smiled sadly. "Private slave pen. 'Means we're already _reserved. _Ha. I've been waiting for so long for my master to pick me up,"

Ryou sighed, face twisting up in slight disgust. So they were just _slaves. _Lower than dirt. He was Marik's property. "How long have you been waiting, Mana?"

Mana blinked and began counting with her fingers. "Hmm… about 74 hours,"

"_74 hours?"_ Ryou repeated in shock. No wonder she was a mess.

Mana smiled a little bit wider and looked back out at the grungy underground city. "I sold my soul so I could be with my lover,"

Her lover? Ryou thought that she was a little too young to have a lover… but he didn't say anything about it. "Oh, alright. So, do you think that you could… um… explain a few things about this place to me?"

The brunette chuckled softly. "Sure!" Mana chirped. "I don't know a lot though, just that some guy called Hades runs this place, but he's bad, so I'm not supposed to let him see me. Then there's the council up in Olympus, but that's not here, obviously,"

"…Where is Olympus?"

Mana shrugged and smoothed out her tattered tan dress a little bit. "It's not really _anywhere, _I guess. I think that only Gods can get there. That's all I know…"

Ryou nodded and noticed Mana's eyes looking heavy as she struggled to stay awake, and she sighed and leaned against Ryou's shoulder. "Sorry," She murmured sleepily. " I just haven't slept in awhile…"

Ryou was a bit uncomfortable, but he allowed her to rest against him. He sighed and let his thoughts begin to wander. He had just noticed the emptiness of his ring, and wondered if the spirit, Bakura, was gone now. He wasn't upset about that or even missed him, that damned spirit had gotten him into this mess in the first place! Perhaps it would please Marik that he was gone.

…

Why the hell did he care what Marik thought…? Maybe because part of him knew that he would have to obey Marik for now on… but he wasn't sure. If he would really be Marik's slave… what would the tall bronze man have him do? Perhaps serve him, or maybe cook and clean? Of course, Ryou's mind was too innocent more… inappropriate ways of servitude.

After an hour, Mana had awoken and had begun rambling on about nonsense and childish things that did not matter. Ryou came to the conclusion that she was probably not quite right in the head, but he couldn't blame her, she _had _been through a lot. Besides, Ryou wasn't the sanest person, and he knew that.

"…And then we both got in so much trouble… OH! Look! Look!" Mana suddenly squealed, practically leaping to her feet and pointing excitedly out at the crowd.

Ryou switched his gave over to where Mana was pointing. After quickly scanning the crowd, is chocolate brown eyes fell upon a pale cloaked figure. He gasped in shock. It was a woman, her pale skin nearly glowing and strands of long, wispy white hair fell out beneath her hood. Ryou froze up, Mana was yelling something in pure excitement, but he could not hear. All he heard was his heartbeat, and all he saw was the cloaked woman.

"…Amane?" He choked out.

* * *

Bakura groaned in pain, rolling a little onto to his side, only to be put into even more agony. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut and rubbed his… bandaged arms? Bakura sighed and nervously opened his eyes a little, and focused his vision on his arms. They _were _bandaged. The white-haired spirit vaguely remembered crashing down here, after Ryou had sold his soul…

_Shit._

Bakura sat up abruptly, trying to do his best to ignore the pain that shot up his spine. He glanced around frantically, his surroundings consisted of seeming endless dark hills, and a cliff face behind him. Where was he…? Where was Ryou? The spirit noticed that his shirt had been removed and was folded neatly beside him, his chest now covered in more bloody bandages. Someone had taken care of him? Crawling up onto his knees, he turned his head to meet the piercing gaze of the person he last expected to see.

It was _him,_ he realized, body near frozen in shock. It was so familiar, the bronze glow of his skin, his long sand blonde hair and gorgeous violet eyes. The light purple hooded tank top that ended just below his stomach, revealing a very _enticing _sliver a tan skin that ended with the low slung black pants he wore. Bakura barely knew him, but he could of recognized him anywhere.

_Malik._

**OMG CLIFFHANGER!111!1!ONE!11!1**

**-.- Yah. So do you guys want shorter chapters...? It would mean more updates...**

**NEXT CHAPTER: Shit happens. MARIK IS BACCKKKK. I promise ;-;**


	4. Identity Theft

**Yoo, quicker update, amirite? This chapter will clear up a hell of a lotta confusion, and it's pretty long so be happy :C**

**Thanks to all my reviewers**

**Btw, about the whole greek mythology thing- I know it's strange to put that with yugioh, but I don't know jack about Egyptian mythology, so yah.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own yugioh.**

**

* * *

**

To be honest, Ryou was absolutely in _shock._

The woman in front of him seemed to be a mirror of his late sister. Well, she was obviously older, but by looks she was nearly identical. Her smooth, pale skin and dark blue eyes were so familiar. Long, wispy white strands of hair fell out from the cloak of her hood. He was so sure that this was his sister, that this woman was Amane.

But yet, he knew it wasn't.

Her visage was cold and emotionless, and her eyes were dull. When his gaze met hers', a chill ran down his spine. The creatures outside the pen were glancing uneasily at the woman, gathering up their own pets or other belongings and moving to somewhere else. Mana, on the other hand, was ecstatic. She ran right up to the fence, bouncing about in joy.

"Kisara! Kisara!" She squealed, a huge grin about her face.

The other woman, assumedly called Kisara, gave Ryou another glance before turning her cold gaze onto Mana, and to Ryou's surprise, a small smile appeared on her lips. With a wave of her hand, the gate of the pen opened by magic, and Mana rushed out to meet Kisara in a hug, which the woman lightly returned. At first, Ryou was confused and then realization hit him.

Oh.

_Ohhh._

Ryou's face flushed and he looked away. It hadn't occurred to him… he just assumed.

So _Kisara _was _Mana's… _lover?

It didn't bother nor disgust Ryou, simply surprised him. He didn't have a problem with… homosexuality. For some reason it just felt… confusing. He didn't know why.

"You're waiting for Jounochi?" Kisara suddenly said, her voice just as cold as her appearance. It took Ryou a minute for him to realize that she was talking to him.

"Uhh… Yeah," He murmured, uncomfortable under her gaze.

"He'll be here soon," She muttered, wrapping an arm around Mana's waist and turning away.

Mana giggled and waved back at the white-haired boy. "Byeee Ryou, I hope I see you again!"

And with that, the two began to walk off. But after a few steps, Kisara turned to him and mouthed, "_Thank you,"_

Ryou couldn't help but stare dumbfounded after them. At least Jounochi would be here soon and take him to Mar-

Suddenly, everything he had been through and everything that had happened over the past few hours hit him like a ton of bricks.

He was flooded by the lack of logic of this situation, and his mind was racing with a billion questions and he struggled to calm himself. This _couldn't _be real! This was a dream… he would just pinch himself and then he would wake up…

_Pinch._

…

…

Fuck. This wasn't a dream.

Taking a deep breath, he remembered a strategy that one of his many therapists had given him about calming himself down. Just list the five things that were troubling him and try to sort through them. In this situation, he would list questions though, and try to answer them.

_One- Why did this happen?_

Ryou could answer that. It was because of that blasted Ring. And then there was Marik… which was his next question.

_Two- Who is Marik?_

Ryou did not know. So far, it seemed like he was known, for Kaiba and Jounochi has mentioned him. Does that mean that he's a … god? Marik also had that… item. It was obviously very powerful, and similar to his Ring. But other than that, he didn't know much.

_Three- Where is Bakura?_

The spirit was absent from his Ring, Ryou could sense it. Perhaps he was gone now, or perhaps he was just… somewhere else. Wherever he was, Ryou sure as hell didn't miss him.

_Four- Why does Kisara look so much like Amane?_

Ryou couldn't answer this. It could merely be a coincidence- but the way she looked at him, with those haunting blue eyes. It was just too strange.

_Five- What does Marik want with him?_

There was something- Ryou knew this. The strange man had had a very greedy look to him, like he wanted something of him. But what…? Another question he couldn't answer.

This didn't make any sense.

Ryou sighed and sat back down on the dirt floor. He was beginning to regret all of this- he had only been a child when he agreed to it! Ryou wondered if his old "friends" would even notice he was gone. Probably not.

"Hey, kid!" A familiar, cheerful voice called. Ryou turned to see Jounochi running towards him, waving with a big goofy grin on his face. Then Ryou gasped in awe.

Jounochi looked… _different. _He seemed a tad bit taller, his skin a little tanner, muscles more defined. His blonde mop of hair was now light golden-brown, but just as messy. His hazel eyes were now a deep amber. He was dressed in strange, Grecian clothing. It was like a toga, but a large golden belt secured it just above his waist. His feet were adorn with sandals, and a orange scarf-like thing was draped over his shoulder. A quiver with golden arrows was latched across his back, and a whole gold aura surrounded him. He sure was attracting a lot of attention…

"You look… interesting," Ryou said, blinking in confusion.

Jounochi chuckled and looked back down at his clothes. "Yah, sorry, just came from a meeting. This is my… god form, I guess," A smirk.

God form…?

Ryou supposed that the meeting was probably at that place that Mana had mentioned. Olympus, was it called?

"I suppose we should get going then…"

With that, the two left. Jounochi held onto Ryou's wrist as he pulled him through the crowd. It was quite a strange experience- he walked right past creatures he didn't even know existed! Ryou swore that he even walked through a ghost. Soon, he noticed they were approaching what seemed to be a line of… humans? Squinting a bit, he could see that there was actually _two _lines. They were both packed with people, but the one of the left seemed to be shorter and moving quite faster than the other.

"What's that?" Ryou asked, blinking curiously as the neared closer to the lines.

"It's how humans get to hell. The line on the left goes to the Fields of Asphodel for those too lazy to get their souls judged, and the other line is for soul judging, so they could perhaps end up in the good place or the bad place,"

"Oh," Ryou murmured, his eyes not leaving the people as they passed.

Suddenly, a load roar shook the lines, but the people didn't seem to notice. Ryou winced at the noise, and turned back to Jounochi to ask what the sound was, and he was met with quite a shock.

Standing nearly directly in front of him, was a dragon. A fucking-dragon. It towered above him, it's body shiny and blue-ish white, almost like metal. Interestingly enough, the dragon had _three _heads, all glaring down at them, their blue eyes piercing and cold. Ryou tried to say something, but all the came out was a little squeal as he dashed behind Jou.

Jounochi, surprising, merely waved at the dragon and dragged Ryou past them. The dragon's three head's stared after them as they departed.

"What the _fuck _was that?" Ryou hissed once they were past.

Jounochi's eyes looked dull, and almost sad as he looked down at Ryou with a small smile. "We call him Blue Eyes. He guards the Underworld,"

No other words were said until they reached their destination. When they did, Jounochi announced it. "Okay! Here we are, Marik's palace!"

The palace was undeniably marvelous, gleaming black despite the dull lighting. Several large, magnificent towers stretch up to near the ceiling, its tips meeting in a rounded spike. Pale, nearly transparent ghosts circled the towers, as if they were guarding its very being. There was a garden out front, decorated with dead looking flowers and gleaming jewels of many different colors. A few small trees were also present, it's fruits, which were pomegranate, looked absolutely delicious. Ryou was appalled- he had not been expecting such a grand palace. Glancing over his shoulder to eye his blonde companion, Ryou could see that the expression on Jounochi's face could only be described as _indifferent._

"Okay kid," He grumbled, reaching over and placing a hold on Ryou's upper arm. "Let's get this over with,"

Jounochi practically dragged Ryou forward, glaring almost grumpily at the skeleton soldiers that lined the path to the castle's door. This confused Ryou greatly- wasn't Jou always smiling and happy-go-lucky?

When they reached the large wooden door, Jounochi scowled and knocked on it three times. His hold on Ryou's arm only tightened as it was slowly opened.

…And there was Marik, standing in the doorway with a broad smile on his face. Ryou swore that he could feel Jounochi trembling beside him.

"Welcome to my home," Marik purred.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGERRR. LOL. I was gonna put another part with Bakura and Malik but I'm lazy so wait like a week and I'll have the next chapter up.**

**CONFUSING, ISNT IT? **


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